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The power of ‘one thing’: A game-changer for CEOs and business owners
I’ve come to realise that the essence of my work often boils down to one core principle: helping CEOs stay laser-focused on the ‘one thing’ that propels their business forward. This ‘one thing’ is their why, their passion, that leverages their unique strength, and which drives their economic engine.
When business owners understand their ‘why’ – their deeper reason for what they do – they can identify and focus on the ‘one thing’ each quarter, a theme that drives them towards this purpose. As Simon Sinek explains in “Start with Why,” “When we are clear about our why, we make decisions that take us closer to that goal.” The ‘why’ is the emotional drive that fuels our commitment and makes the pursuit of the goal worthwhile.
When I begin working with clients, aside from often not being able to express their ‘why’, they’re often overwhelmed by numerous tasks, juggling operational duties – primarily the ‘how’ that ensures they can deliver the ‘what’ to their clients.
They’re busy but rarely focused on the strategic activities that truly drive growth and enable them to bring their core purpose to reality. They get trapped in the firefighting of the present, missing out on the big-picture goals that matter most. Their focus is on attracting short-term value in the now as opposed to high value in the long term. The irony is, as CEOs, they are often the very obstacle hindering their company’s growth by not focusing on the right things.
With a focus on the ‘one thing’ – the ‘why’, an early objective with these clients is to introduce discipline and foster new, beneficial habits through quarterly themes which align directly to the overarching ‘why’ but which the team can connect with in the now.
Take as an example, Southwest Airlines. Their ‘why’ is centred on making air travel accessible to everyone. Everything they do is built around the purpose of providing low-cost, reliable air travel. This ‘one thing’ focus informs every decision they make, from standardising their aircraft to streamlining their operations – each impacting pricing, customer service, efficiency, employee satisfaction, and community involvement.
That said, it takes the breaking down of the ‘why’ to many smaller strategic areas of focus to ensure that overwhelm doesn’t create stagnation and an inability to move forward. This is where quarterly themes can come in handy.
Recently, a client of mine, whose why is to impact health, mental health, and the prevention and management of lifestyle diseases, committed to the quarterly ‘one thing’ of onboarding 96 new customers. This clear and focused goal aligned the entire company’s efforts towards onboarding new customers, pushing aside distractions.
The result? On the first day of the new quarter, the CEO texted to confirm that they had onboarded 100 customers, surpassing their goal. The team were ecstatic – they are closer to their ‘why’, the board were delighted, and the CEO now firmly believes in the transformative power of focusing on quarterly themes.
So, what ‘one thing’ should you focus on this quarter to take you closer to your company ‘why’? Clarifying your ‘why’ and communicating it effectively is what sets you apart from your competitors.
Remember, people don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it (Simon Sinek). If it doesn’t give you goosebumps – you probably haven’t really got to the heart of the why. Once you know it intuitively – align those quarterly ‘one things’ and see your flywheel gain momentum!
Looking for help to articulate your why and create laser-focus? Contact our team at Two Tides today, and we’ll show you how.